Slovenian prime minister urges new legal mechanism to prevent genocide

Prime Minister Janes Yansha of the Republic of Slovenia told the United Nations General Assembly that the world needs a new legal mechanism to prevent genocide and other mass atrocities. He urged member states, regional organizations and UN bodies to develop a clear mandate and proposed an intergovernmental forum to draft a United Nations resolution creating that mechanism.

"I call on the member states of the United Nations, regional organizations, and the United Nations system to develop a new approach and a strategy for the prevention of genocide and other mass atrocities," Yansha said. He argued that a legal mechanism should make the concept of the responsibility to protect into "a new tool" that enables faster and more effective responses to acts of genocide.

Yansha framed the proposal against the backdrop of the 60th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, saying the convention was the product of tireless juristic effort and that the UN should build on that legacy. He said the initiative also has civil-society backing, citing the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy and thousands of nongovernmental supporters.

The speech did not include specifics on draft text, voting timelines or how the proposed mechanism would interact with existing Security Council authorities. Yansha said the proposed intergovernmental forum should "not to dictate political verdicts but to make it impossible for us to remain unaware of our patterns of selectivity," indicating the forum would be intended to compare crises and responses rather than to impose sanctions.